Becoming Stars
by Soomin
Summary: Stars are just burning balls of gas in space, but they able to be seen across the galaxy as beacon of hope for people. A story about how Rose and the Crystal Gems were formed as a single team, and how all of them become stars.
1. Rose

Even with years of experience with these humans, there were a few traditions that Rose sometimes did not understand yet. She didn't realize that so many eating utensils were needed to consume a human's daily nutrients at some points and yet so little at other times. She also didn't know that humans spent so much time creating different languages and evolving themselves when they were so perfect already. However, there was one tradition that she was getting used: fashion.

"Is that another T-shirt Greg?" Rose asked curiously as her lover walked into her home with a box of something.

"Yeah! Aren't they awesome? I had a guy downtown print them off for me so that I can sell them in the next concert. Everyone is going to want one of these!" Greg exclaimed and pulled out a T-shirt for her to see. It was a pinkish T-shirt that was more red than anything else and had a bright yellow star in the middle of it. The star was a symbol of Greg's band, and while the design was very charming, Rose did have one question.

"Greg, is there a reason why people would want a shirt with a star on it? I've been reading some of these magazines, and they've been saying that celestial symbols were apparently last century," Rose explained as she motioned to grab one of them. Greg had said that these were a great source of human culture, but Rose had a feeling she was getting a little bit to into a person's personal space with them.

Greg immediately made a face and began blushing in that familiar way Rose often made him feel. "W-Well, it's kind of a symbol of our band, you know? It's how we're able to go around and say 'You're one of us!' without being so public about it."

"Are you embarrassed affiliating yourselves with a single thing then?" Rose asked.

"No no! It's not like that. It's um, how do I say this? It's kind of like our fans are kind of wearing our uniforms. Like, if I'm every feeling down or sad or something, I can just go out and see some kid wearing my T-shirt because I made an impact on his life. Hay, sometimes people even send me letters on how I've changed their lives," Greg explained as he took a seat next to his girlfriend. "You know, it's kind of like I'm protecting them from those icky feelings just by playing my music, but they're the ones in uniform protecting me."

Rose stayed quiet for a few second. Symbols were not a foreign thing for her. They were often signs of which team a Gem was on back on Homeworld. However, because of her strength, Homeworld never really gave her a team to stay with. They had mention something about bringing some reinforcements, but they wouldn't truly be a part of her team because she didn't have one. Well, at least not yet.

"Rose? Hey, did I say something to upset you again? I did, didn't I?" Greg asked as he took a deep breath and sighed. He looked at the T-shirt under a different light.

"Maybe they are 'last season', huh Rose."

That brought Rose out of her thoughts and back to her beloved. She took the T-shirt from his hands and hugged it with all of her might.

"I love it," she said and kissed him on his cheek.

"You do?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Mmhmm, I think you should keep one, you know, for the memories. I think this is my favorite T-shirt yet. Do you think I can keep one too?" she asked. She often felt bad taking merchandise from her beloved, but this time she needed this T-shirt, and she would pay for it later of course.

"Of course sweetie! Why, honorary band members are band members as well. And don't you dare think about paying me back somehow. Me and you, this band is ours, not just mine," Greg reminded and smiled. Rose returned it, and the two of them continued talking throughout the night, even when the two of them ran out of anything meaningful to say.

The next morning, Greg woke up to an empty couch. It was late in the morning, and knowing that Rose was a morning person; he didn't feel bad waking up alone. However, it wasn't very often that she did this without telling him or even leaving a note. He figured that something bad must have happened and wandered into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Luckily, even though Rose didn't have to eat, she still kept food stocked just for humans when they wandered in the temple and needed a place to stay for the night.

The doors to the Gem rooms opened, and Greg was about to ask if she wanted anything when he saw her change.

Rose's dress was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen (besides her of course). His mother often asked her where she had gotten it, but she never got a complete response. He had always gotten a feeling it was handmade or a Gem-equivalent type thing, but he did know that it was one of the few things Rose held precious to her.

And now there it was, in perfect condition except for a star-shaped cut in the middle revealing her beautiful Gem.

"Rose, your dress," Greg began.

"I know! Isn't it fantastic dear? Now I can be in your army too!"

"My army? But what about your dress?"

Rose smiled and gathered her beloved into her arms.

"If this single symbol is able to give any human hope, then I will rip my entire dress into a star just to make them smile again," Rose explained. Breaking apart, Rose looked deeply into Greg's eyes. "Greg, the Gems of Homeworld are planning something bad for Earth. When things begin happening, I want the people of this Earth to know that I, a Crystal Gem, will continue to fight on their side. This is going to be a symbol for those of us who want to protect his planet. After all, it is your band that showed me how great humans can be. Why not project that message to the entire universe?"

Greg could feel tears welling in his eyes. Ignoring his burning toast, he picked Rose up and spun her around just like he did when she said that she would marry him.

"I love you," Greg said with a great smile, playing around with the star shaped hole of her dress. To think, his band was going to be a beacon of peace and unity in the universe, and his wife as the leader of all of it.

Sudden fear grasped his mind.

"Wait, what kind of bad things Rose? Is something going to happen to you?"

Rose breathed out, and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid my mind is already made Greg, but don't worry. I fully intend to fight and come back to you," she explained. Then she looked to the side. "Greg! Your toast!"

"Oh no!" he yelled and ran over to save his forgotten breakfast. Rose watched the spectacle with an amused expression. It was moments like these and future ones that had yet to happen that would continue to remind her that the Crystal Gems and their stars are something worth fighting for.


	2. Garnet

The battle was finally over. It was done, but was the cost truly worth it?

Ruby scanned over the debris scattered around the land. All around were weapons, armor, and fragments of once truly wonderful warriors. It was a sight that was only seen by true veterans, but Ruby felt no pride for this scene. She only felt fear as she could hardly see the destruction around her.

"Sapphire! Sapphire, where are you?" she yelled. Sometime during the battle, the two of them were separated from the fight. Her instincts were enough to get Ruby out of the battle, but she worried about Sapphire who was not as battle adjusted as she was. She still wore that horrible dress into battle despite her complaints.

_Who needs convenience when I have the best bodyguard in the world with me?_ She had said, and now she was gone and Ruby had no idea where she went. She was about to punch the ground in frustration when she heard her voice. Her sweet melodious voice, except it was singing their song. It was a different song filled with sorrow notes and a heavy heart. Whatever happened during their separation, it wasn't good.

"Sapphire?" she asked as she approached the sound. She could hear her dress shift as she turned to face her.

"Ruby," she paused and then the sounds of movement came towards her. She felt familiar arms wrap around her, "Thank goodness you're okay at least." Hot tears were running down her face, and Ruby didn't want to know what prompted all of this.

"Who else didn't make it?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer. Rose had told all of them that before coming into this battle, there was a high chance of them not returning. Even though she told that human that she would return, all of them knew that it was an empty promise. However, surely there had to be others, besides them.

Sapphire didn't say anything. She only found her hands and began leading her way to a different place. Ruby could feel Sapphire limping as she walked, understanding that it was her fault that she was hurt in the first place. However, it was probably lucky that Sapphire was even here in the first place judging by the mass destruction that was here. Just when Ruby was going to assess the damage around her, Sapphire stopped and bent down.

She had picked something up very carefully and grabbed Ruby's hand again. She placed the two objects in her hand and curled Ruby's hand around it. It was a smooth gem that radiated brilliance and strength. It was Pearl. Carefully, Ruby felt around it. No cracks or any huge flaws seemed to be around the gem. Pearl was going to be okay!

"She's alright!" Ruby whispered excitedly as she gently hugged the gem. She gave back the gem to Sapphire who would carefully treat it until they reached the Temple for Pearl to regain her physical form. Ruby was very excited now. Even though Pearl was one of their greatest warriors, the fact that she had survived in her gem form might mean others have too. They weren't alone!

"Are there anymore?" Ruby asked, but felt her happiness died when Sapphire only brought up a single finger.

"One? Only one?" Ruby exclaimed. The battle was harsh, but she couldn't believe that out of all of them, the four of them had survived. They must have had hundreds in their armies, and the Homeworld must have had ten times more than that. They were the only four left on Earth. They were the only two left on Earth until the other two recovered.

Ruby never felt more alone.

"Who is it?" Ruby asked and felt relief when a familiar aura was placed into her hand. Of course Rose would have survived. There was no way that she would have died and yet three others would leave. She was still their maternal figure. Moms don't die, not really anyways. Why would Rose be any different? She was okay, right? When was she coming back? Why was the loneliness still there?

"Sapphire," Ruby said as Sapphire carefully bubbled their leader's gem to be transported back to the temple. For the few seconds Sapphire took to bubble that gem, Ruby felt like she was going dive into a dark abyss. It was Sapphire only that was keeping her afloat.

"I know," Sapphire replied, and grabbed onto Ruby's hand. For the time being, they were truly alone. They couldn't go back, they had no one to go back to, and no one to cheer for them. And they thought they were the victors.

Ruby had known the risk of going through this war. Rose explained to all of them exactly what was going to happen. However, Ruby didn't realize that her heart would feel so heavy with the aftermath. She didn't think winning was going to be this lonely.

"I don't want to be alone," Ruby finally said. Sapphire didn't say anything in response. The two of them just continued holding hands and existed. For a moment, it really did feel it was just the two of them. But if that was it was going to be, Ruby honestly didn't mind as long as it was with Sapphire.

Just as the sun was about to fall below the horizon, Sapphire began to sing a melody. Ruby couldn't tell if it was supposed to be happy or if it was another sad song, but she didn't care. Sapphire's voice was the one thing that was able to make her forget everything around her and put her in a place where she didn't mind she and Sapphire were the only ones. Pulling her arm, Ruby spun Sapphire around like they were playing. Just like before the war. At some point, Sapphire stopped singing and began laughing, but Ruby didn't notice. Anything that came out of her friend's voice was music to her ears.

Eventually, Ruby began laughing too. They had won! Even though they were alone, they had won. Earth was saved even if the two of them were alone on this planet. They had won.

Ruby had just wanted to spin around with Sapphire forever and ever and never let her go. She didn't want to be lonely anymore. She wanted to be with her forever.

* * *

It wasn't very often that Rose lost her physical form. She knew the process of regaining that physical form could take weeks, even years depending on the Gem. However, her planet was in danger, and there was no way that she was going to take weeks and perfect her form. If she could continue protecting, she would take any form she could get.

When she reappeared, she began to wonder why the battle was suddenly taking place in her home.

"Hello?" she asked, wondering how much time had actually passed.

"Rose!" a voice called out, and almost immediately, Rose brought out her sword. It was no one she recognized, and that must mean that this voice was an enemy. A strong one too judging by its attempt to go at her directly. Had the Gem taken one more step, she would have pierced herself through her sword.

"Who are you?" she asked, immediately suspicious.

At first, the gem frowned, but then realized something important. She then took a step back and Rose was able to see her full form. The Gem was tall, almost as tall as she was. She wore rather larger sunglasses that covered a majority of her face, and her clothes looked like something from Greg's "futuristic" novels. She carried no visible weapon, but that didn't meant a Gem wasn't ready to fight.

"This is Garnet," the Gem said in a cool, collected voice as she took off her glasses. She had three eyes: red, blue, and purple.

"Sapphire, Ruby," Rose whispered, but corrected herself, "I mean, hello Garnet."

"Did you see?" Garnet asked as she pointed toward her torso. Rose put away her sword and took a step closer to her new friend. Along her shirt was a familiar star design that looked very fashionable with her clothes. Rose smiled at that thought. It really was all over then.

"Just like you said Rose. Once we wing this war, I was going to be called a Crystal Gem. Well, now I am one, with the star and everything."

"Yes, you are," she said as she gathered the tall Gem for a hug. Bringing Garnet's ear closer to her, she whispered, "You are now a beacon that shines light for this planet too."

"Just like you," Garnet commented.

Rose nodded.

"Only, you're not alone anymore."

Rose could only smile after that comment.


	3. Pearl

Pearl was someone who prided on the thought that she knew Rose the best. There were countless things stored in their memory that were about Rose that only she knew. One of these things was Rose's fascination with this planet and its residence. These humans were just so needy and barbaric at times that it seemed to Pearl that Rose thought of them as pets. However, as she stayed with her, Pearl saw that Rose authentically loved them for their spirit and how lively they all seem. Although she herself didn't have any love for these beings, she understood why Rose loved them because it was just so Rose. She wouldn't have expected anything else from her.

When Rose brought her to her secret place and told her of the dangers of joining her army, Pearl did not hesitate. Even if the physical words brought her shock and dread, she was expecting this development to be arriving at any moment. What was happening to this Earth was atrocious, and if Pearl had the same capacity of love as Rose, they would have done the same. Rose wasn't like a closed book. She was simply a locked book that Pearl had the key to, and Pearl prided herself for having the key to Rose's mind. Some may even say that they were friends.

What a load a dust.

Some friend she turned out to be anyways. Pearl began repeating the event over and over in her mind. It was the highest point of the battle. Rose and her were together in battle. It was a high probability that they were the last few on their side, but the other side wasn't looking too great either. Everyone knew the unspoken facts. Whoever won this battle would be the victor of the war. Time slowed for them, just so history would have enough to record this event.

Without warning, the enemy took the initiative. Rose came up to block the attack with her shield, and Pearl took that as he sign to follow. She leapt up with her spear and charged downwards. It is said that a spear was a third of the speed of a sword, so by her calculations, their attacks would be synchronized.

The enemy gems, Pearl could hardly remember their names at this point, were strong, but they didn't have the synergy she and Rose had. All it would take was one firm blow, and then they would win. Then a thought shocked through Pearl.

Did she want to win?

Pearl thought about all that she would miss. Rose had warned her of this, and yet, it hadn't really hit her until now. Yes, she had Rose, but at the same time, she would be losing everything else. Her heritage, her home, her culture, everything that made Pearl proud of who she was would disappear with this strike. For the first time in this battle, Pearl hesitated. And she would regret that hesitation for the rest of her life.

"Pearl!" she remembered Rose screaming at her. Pearl, as if in a trance, saw Rose running towards her but made no movement in reaction. Why did she do that? Didn't she want to save the humans? Why was she trying to save her too?

Before she could even process what was even going on, all Pearl could see was a blade piercing Rose. Her beautiful Rose looked afraid but not for herself; instead, it was for her. It wasn't long before Rose's physical form collapse, and Pearl honestly didn't want to remember what happened afterwards. All she knew was that it was a draw. She and her opponents were the last standing, and there was no way that she was going to let Rose's sacrifice go in vain. At the end of the day, Earth was saved. She was in her gem to be able to gain energy to reemerge in her physical form, but at the same time, Pearl didn't know she wanted to.

What honestly was waiting for her there? Would Rose even accept her again after that moment of cowardice? Pearl could reemerge any day now if she wanted to, but was there any point in doing so?

Pearl didn't know how long it was between the battle and the present, but during the interim, she began to be hearing her voice. It was quiet at first, as if she was talking to a small Earth child. However, as time passed on, the voice began regaining its strength. It spoke sweet nothings to her as if to comfort her in this dark space. Then it began having conversation with her. For the longest time, Pearl wanted to speak with it. She wanted to talk to Rose again.

It was around the sixth conversation that Rose said something that stuck with Pearl forever.

"I'm sorry Pearl," she had said. When she had said this, Pearl was in shock. Why was she apologizing? She had been the coward, and is still the coward. After all, that's why she was here. She was too scared to face her new reality.

"I should have known that our relationship would almost force you to side with me. There was no way that you were going to fight against my side, and there was no way that you were going to just let me be, was there?" There was an air of fondness in the latter half of the sentence that would have made Pearl blush had she been physical there.

"You're probably scared now about what you did. I don't blame you. Garnet, that's Ruby and Sapphire's fusion you know, saw no reason to go outside either. However, this Earth is just full of life and beauty," Rose paused for a second, as if admiring the sounds around her before beginning again. "If you would allow me, I would like to show you. I want to truly show you what this place has to offer, and I hope then you can make your own culture. That's what these humans do, so why can't we?"

Had Pearl been there, tears would had been running down her face. How could a Gem so full of love like Rose exist? There was so many things that Pearl knew, but the few things she didn't know Rose could teach her. She could teach Pearl how to love like she did, she could teach her how to admire things not for their strength but for their spirit, and she could teach so much more.

She could teach her how to be a Crystal Gem, just like what Rose called herself.

Rose had said that was what her army was called, but a Crystal Gem wasn't an army. They were protectors of this Earth. Pearl could perfectly imagine the star from Rose's dress cut out after that disaster of a day. That star, Rose had claimed, was the symbol of the protectors of the Earth. Never before had Pearl wanted to become a star more than this.

She took a hold of this want and felt herself becoming heavier. It was finally time to come out.

In a blinding light, she felt herself change. Her clothes she once wore took on a more Earth-styled sense. She looked more like a dancer she saw at a show Greg took them to. They had grace, poise, and elegance, and if that was the height of human culture, Pearl was going to be ready to embrace it and make it her own. However, she didn't forget the most important part.

Before Pearl could even open her eyes, she could feel strong arms wrapping around her. It seemed such a long time since she had contact with another gem. It felt nice. The next thing she realized was that Rose was crying.

"Rose!" she exclaimed when she saw this.

"Pearl!" she exclaimed, "I thought you weren't going to come back. I thought you hated me for making you go through all of that. I'm am so sorry."

Pearl, at that moment, realized what pain she had put her friend through. Even when Pearl thought Rose would be angry at her, Rose, at the same time, was worrying if Pearl was angry at here. She calmly rubbed her friend's back as she calmed down and settled.

Before long, Rose took a good look at her friend and gasped.

"Pearl, that outfit," she began, but had a large grin on her face.

"Fit for the star of this planet's story, right?" Pearl joked. Whatever the planet had for them, Pearl and Rose and the rest of the crystal gems would be ready.


	4. Amethyst

A/N Warning: Negativity and Self-Hate

* * *

She was just like the rest of them: a creature, a monster, something that shouldn't have existed in the first place. The Kindergarten was full of things like her, so why did she keep coming back here?

"Hello? Amethyst? Are you here?"

Amethyst peeked out from behind a rock and saw the familiar figure out in the distance. How could she not? Her white dress and her pink hair stood out from the ugly purple and gray on the environment. This gem was beautiful while she was just a clone of something horrible and unnatural.

"Rose, are you sure we should be here in the first place?" There was the other gem. This gem was beautiful too with her orange hair and nice clothes. She just wore some loose shirt and black pants that they gave here when she was created.

"Rose's policy is "no gem left behind". If there is a gem in here, then we have to make sure he or she is okay," the third gem explained. This gem radiated with power. There was no doubt that she was a fusion, whatever that was. Amethyst vaguely remembered the scientists talking about it while they took care of her. They wondered if gems like her were capable of fusion due to being created from the Earth's material.

Fusion: it was a good word. It meant being combined with something as far as she knew. If she could fuse like the tall gem, maybe she could almost be like one of them. Then she wouldn't have to be all alone in the Kindergarten anymore. It was a dream at least. Perhaps she could try it at least once before it's all over.

"That's right Pearl, and I know I saw one here just the other day. If there is a gem willing to _not_ fight during the Gem War, then it's worth asking him or her to be on our side," Rose commented and kept walking. Amethyst wondered if all organic gems were as diverse and beautiful as she was. As far as she knew, all of her "brothers" and "sisters" looked almost exactly like she did except for minor differences due to coding and genetic sequences. There were so many differences between the group and her. She kept promising herself that if the group took another step, she would bellow and make them go away. However, they kept moving closer and Amethyst stayed silent.

Finally one step was too much and she roared out, "Go away!"

She was a freak of nature: why would they even want to come near her? Don't they know they might get her disease too?

The footsteps finally stopped, but they weren't going away. She probably scared them in their places.

"Amethyst?" one asked. She couldn't tell. The noises were getting louder and things were getting hard to distinguish. She didn't know how much more she had.

"Amethyst, are you okay?" It was Rose. That much she could tell. Rose was coming near her. Why? She was going to get sick too now.

"G-go away! I-I-I hate you all!" she screamed as she began running away from all of them. At least, she thought she was running away. Normally the floor doesn't get closer when you start running away.

"Garnet!" Rose yelled, and Amethyst felt something hold her. It was a long time since anyone has done that, and for a moment, Amethyst didn't do anything. It was a small thing she finally take ease in.

It was another few moments before she felt another hand touching her forehead. Words were exchanged, but Amethyst couldn't process it at this point. Everything was going to a haze. She supposed she should had been sad that it was finally going to end, but to be honest, what she didn't even have an existence to be sad for. Who was going to miss something that wasn't supposed to exist in the first place? Other freaks of nature she supposed, but she was the last one.

Good riddance.

* * *

"Amethyst? Are you waking up? Oh thank goodness," a voice said through the darkness. Amethyst was immediately discomforted. Her environment was solid like her rocks, and it wasn't cold like the Kindergarten was at night. Everything felt too comfortable for her tastes.

"Where am I?" she asked slowly as she tried to open her eyes. Sunlight was shining through somewhere, but she had never expected it to be this bright. Cloud cover was also expected at her home, so she definitely wasn't there.

She heard a sudden gasp besides her and hands quickly pushing her back into the squishy material much to her disdain. Someone was saying something about resting after recovering from something and someone else laughing about hens.

"You're in the temple Amethyst," a third voice answered, "it's where we live."

It took a moment for the words to finally sink it.

"The temple?!" she yelled as rose from bed again despite the cry of worry from the side. "You mean the place where Rose Quartz lives?"

"Well, me and a few friends of mine." It was the first voice again. Amethyst turned her head to meet face-to-face with the legendary Rose Quartz.

She was more beautiful up close. Amethyst felt sick.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" she screamed and covered herself in blankets. She saw the look of pure shock on Rose's face before she shielded the world from herself. She was going to make the world sick, just like she did with the others. It was going to happen all over again. She couldn't let that happen. Not again. Not like with –

Amethyst's stream of thought stopped. Two strong arms wrapped around her body through the blankets. She finally realized that she was crying.

"Amethyst, I think I know what's going on, but you stop me if I'm wrong, okay? There was a mutation with the recent strain of Earth Gems, but I don't think it was incurable. I think Pearl was able to pull through with what we have and cured you. Of course, we're going to have to keep you under watch since this is our first time doing something like this, but I think you're going to be okay. After all, all of us took turns looking after you and we're still okay," Rose explained.

Amethyst began to calm her voice to ask a very important question. "Why?"

There was a pause, and Amethyst began to fear the answer. Finally, Rose began to speak again. "Because I believe nothing from this Earth can truly be evil, and you are not exception. As of right now, and if you choose to accept it, I would like to think of you as my friend Amethyst."

Amethyst didn't immediately answer. She wouldn't answer for a long time, but when Rose saw her escape from her blanket cocoon a few days later with stars on her pants, she couldn't help but gather her new friend in arms and laugh the rest of the day away.


	5. Steven

There weren't a whole lot of things he could do at home. They lived isolated from the rest of the island, and Pearl had told him that he was not allowed to leave the house alone until he was older. Instead, he did what every little nine-year-old boy did when he was all alone: he made an imaginary friend.

Jerry was a huge dinosaur that hung around Steven whenever the Gems were gone. He would eat cake with him, make sand castles, and they would tell deep and dark secrets to each other. Jerry would disappear once the Gems came (Pearl didn't like the thought of Steven having pets), but he would always be back once the three of them went on a mission. Steven supposed it was because he was such a great person that he never really felt alone. If he was every actually alone, he could always think of a person to hang out with him, so he was never really all that alone after all.

He always wondered why the Gems couldn't do the same.

Not that they were actually lonely, but they didn't seem like they wanted to do things together. Once, after a mission where they were fighting some kind of fish monster, the Gems said their usual greetings to Steven and then immediately retreated to their rooms. This habit become more commonplace as the Gems went on more and more missions together. While Steven respected their privacy, it was no excuse that they were a family, and family helped family whenever needed. It was at that moment that he decided that the Gems needed imaginary friends, so that when they were like this, they wouldn't be lonely when they had their personal time.

However, thinking about imaginary friends for the Gems were hard. Pearl already had that hologram of herself, but that hardly was an imaginary friend as it was like a punching bag. No, Pearl needed a friend who was going to listen to her, but also offer up some good advice whenever possible. She probably needed someone who shared interests with her, but now that Steven thought about it, he really didn't know Pearl much at all besides that she liked being graceful and clean.

That couldn't be right though! People liked at least three things. There had to be something else that Pearl liked. He figured he could ask her later before making her perfect best friend.

As such, he decided that he should just think of the other imaginary friends before making Pearls. Immediately, his thoughts went to Amethyst. He knew that Amethyst liked food and messes. However, he was stuck at the two liked things. People were three dimensional, which he was pretty sure that meant they should like at least three things. Amethyst also liked pranks, but she only seemed to prank Pearl, and that would be unfair to have two people against one. Maybe if Amethyst had a friend, she could prank her friend instead. However, that wouldn't be fair to the friend though. He supposed he would have to wait to make Pearl's friend before making Amethyst's friend just so that there's not any big fights going on.

If that was the case, then he supposed he should get a start on Garnet's imaginary friend. He thought that Garnet's imaginary friend should probably be tall like her, but also a good listener since he figured Garnet had a whole bunch of things to say when she was alone. The imaginary friend should also be really strong so that they can spar together to keep their skills sharp because he had never seen Garnet train with them. Garnet's imaginary friend should also be able to say really funny jokes since Garnet had a really good smile, but she only does it whenever something really funny happens.

Steven thought really hard to figure out what that imaginary friend would look like. Garnet is really serious, so he figured that anything that looked like a threat would probably put her off her cool. However, having something really fluffy would cramp Garnet's style too much. Nah, she needed something that would fit Garnet.

After a whole minute of thinking, Steven just flopped on the floor. This was beginning to become too hard.

"Steven? Are you okay?" he heard Pearl ask. That must mean that they came back from their mission. Steven quickly sat up.

"Oh no! You guys came back too early!" Steven exclaimed.

The Gems paused, and they looked at each other. "We came too early?" Pearl repeated confused.

"Well that's a great way to greet us after we came back from a mission," Amethyst mocked as she placed her arms behind her head.

"No! You don't understand guys!" Steven began, "Now you're going to go to your rooms until dinner time where you guys just sit over there while I eat unless one of you tell Amethyst to eat with me. Then you'll say good night and leave again!"

Pearl looked at Garnet and frowned. "Aw, Steven, if you wanted to us to just spend more time with you, you could have just asked-"

"No! This isn't about me you guys," Steven corrected as he looked toward the floor. "You guys just seem so lonely lately. I was going to think up some imaginary friends for you so that you wouldn't be by yourselves anymore after serious missions. I have Jerry the Dinosaur, and he's my perfect friend when you're away. Except, it's so hard to think of good imaginary friends for you!"

The Gem looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Garnet took the initiative, picked up the small boy and walked over to the couch. It reminded her of what it felt like taking care of little baby Steven.

"You know Steven, I think we can help you imagine up a great imaginary friend for us," Garnet said as she placed Steven on her lap.

"Really?"

Garnet hummed in agreement. She paused for a moment, and then said, "For my imaginary friend, I don't want him to try and fight everything. I think he should be smart enough to do things his own way."

Pearl, understanding what was happening, also added in, "Yes, I agree. He should also be caring enough to want to protect the people around him in his own little ways."

"Yeah! And he should be really cool because he's going to be a crystal gem, and only those kind of people can be crystal gems," Amethyst added with a great big smile.

Steven thought really hard about the perfect kind of friend. Someone who was smart, caring, and cool that would be great for all three of them. He thought for a good few moments, but then realized that he still couldn't think of the perfect person.

"It's no use guys, I just can't think of anything!"

Garnet giggled, and she moved Steven so that he was facing her. "It's okay Steven. You're the best imaginary friend we could ever have, and that's because you're real."

At that moment, Steven could feel his friend giving him a great big group hug. It had been a long time since they were like this, and so he enjoyed every minute of it. However, he suddenly remembered something that was said.

"I'm going to be a crystal gem?!" he exclaimed.

"Of course shrimp! Why wouldn't we make you one?" Amethyst asked. She internally began to remember when she became a Crystal Gem. _After all, Rose took someone like me in._

"But I'm not strong or anything," Steven commented. Pearl simply smiled as she remembered when Rose stayed by her side when she regenerated all that time ago.

"Oh Steven, you don't need to be strong to be a crystal gem."

"Crystal Gem is a family. We bring people together. You are our family, right?" Garnet asked, a part remembering the moment when she became Garnet, and the other part trying to remember if there was ever a time she wasn't Garnet.

"Of course!" Steven said.

"Then that's all there is," Garnet concluded, and hugged the boy closer.

There was never a sense of becoming a crystal gem. You simply were, and that was all there is to it.

* * *

**A/N** And that's the final chapter! Sorry it took so long to get out. School and other stuff got in the way, but I am feeling the writing vibe. It's been a great experience writing this little story even if it will become an AU later on. I had a lot of fun with it, and I hope you all did too. Thank you for everything!


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